Crimson rivers wash away the past
by KariSumi
Summary: Kagome, after being tortured by Naraku, manages to escape. InuYasha is nowhere to be seen as he is off looking for Kikyo again. When the Lord of the Western Lands saves her, Kagome realizes she is in love with him. However, can this stubborn youkai learn to love, and will Kagome ever heal from her past? (SxK)
1. Kagome's Torture

**Kagome's Torture**

Silence filled the air. Faint ragged breathing was all that could be heard. Even a youkai couldn't hear it unless they were a few meters away.

Kagome continued to wander across the vast fields of nothingness. Crimson poured from her chest, leaving behind a trail as her heart continued struggling to beat. Loneliness, Regret, Hatred, and Pain. All of them lodged into her mind.

InuYasha had left her once more, in attempt to search for Kikyo. Kagome shuddered as she remembered the name. For as long as she'd known, InuYasha would go to look for her, but every other time he would rescue her. This time was different…

The wounds covering her body were all caused by Naraku. He had kidnapped her and brought her to his castle, where he tortured her. Not the usual torturing where he would look into her soul, no. This time, he physically hurt her.

She had managed to escape thanks to Kagura. Even she couldn't stand to see Kagome in that state: chained up against the blood-splattered stone walls.

_Thank you Kagura… _

Kagome suddenly collapsed onto her knees as she came into realization that Kagura would suffer for her actions. Tears began flooding down her face, caused by pain and sadness.

Around her was nothing, only the red crimson swirls of her blood and a faint light she had been following to the West.

_Where's InuYasha? _She choked, blood and tears preventing her from speaking.

Her mind swirled with pain; she knew he wouldn't come this time. Yet her mind wouldn't stop.

"_He's not coming do you understand." _Replied a familiar voice, yet sounding so far away.

Finally, she understood. InuYasha wouldn't save her this time. Before blacking out, the last thing she saw were golden-orbs, staring down at her with only the slightest recognition of pity and concern.

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**(Author's Note: Well. I hope you like the first chapter. Wondering who it is? Well, guess right and get a cookie.)**

**Without pain, there would be no suffering, without suffering we would never learn from our mistakes. To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to all windows, without it, there is no way of life. –Angelina Jolie**

**I don't own any of the InuYasha characters; they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**


	2. The Lord of the Western Lands

**The Lord of the Western Lands**

_Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter_

The raven-haired girl strained to open her eyes, as her ears filled with the sound of rain. She could only gather up enough strength to squint.

She was lying down in the middle of a small hut, and through the doorway she could see that the sky was tearing open as the thick rain sheeted down. _I guess we're both sad…_

"Lady Kagome?" She flinched at hearing that; she hadn't been called Lady Kagome in quite a while. Not since Naraku had caught her.

Kagome turned her head to see a small girl, probably the age of 9, sitting beside her. She had dark, raven hair that looked a lot like her own. The difference was this child has a part of her hair tied up on the side.

"Where am I," the words barely left Kagome's mouth, "who are you?"

The young girl smiled and gave Kagome a drink of some sweet water to help soothe her throat. Once Kagome was finished she placed the jug back down.

"My name is Rin," she gave a small curtsey and giggled, "We're in an old abandoned hut that Sesshomaru-sama found."

_Sesshomaru?_

"I'll go tell him you're awake!" Before Kagome could stop her Rin had already leaped out of the hut and into the heavy rain outside.

Kagome let out a small sigh, and then began to wonder. What was Rin doing traveling with Sesshomaru? He hated humans, and even more; why did he help her? Kagome never thought that she would be saved by Sesshomaru…

She tried to sit up but was met with immediate pain everywhere on her body. Then she remembered what had happened; the cuts, burns, and bruises. All of them had left a permanent scar on her body, and mind.

"Don't strain yourself," came that familiar voice again, but closer, "Rin is getting you some fish to eat." She struggled to see who it was, and she was surprised to see Sesshomaru sitting down beside her.

Something warm and fluffy wrapped around her waist to lift her into a sitting position. She strained as she tried to see what it was. It was Sesshomaru's fluff. **(A/N: That's what I'm going to call it.)**

She wanted to talk but it had been hard enough just to speak few words to Rin, plus Sesshomaru wouldn't talk back. It would just be a one-way conversation. She let out a small whimper as she remembered the time she spent back in Naruka's castle.

As soon as she thought about it all of the pain returned to her wounds and she began to feel sick. The sound of the rain was muffled, her vision blurred, and she fell limp backwards and found herself being caught by someone.

"_Miko." _The voice echoed in her mind as she began to fade in and out. _"Miko."_

The smell of cooked fish entered the hut at that time. There were blurred voices around her and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand them.

"_Lady Kagome, open your mouth."_

There was one voice Kagome could hear, and she followed as it had said. She opened her mouth slowly and was fed some meat of some kind, probably fish she guessed. The more she ate, the more she could focus.

The blurring began to go away and she could finally start to make out shapes again. Of course, she hadn't eaten in ages. Naraku only fed Kagome one small dish of rice a week, for the 3 weeks she had been imprisoned.

A few minutes had passed and Kagome was well enough to sit up by herself. Rin offered her some more of the sweet water and she accepted but only had a few sips, as she was full from the fish and berries she had been served.

"You want to know what happened don't you."

Rin looked up to see Kagome's faced covered by the shadows around the room, but she could clearly see tears beginning to fall.

"It happened 3 weeks ago…"

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**(Author's Note: Chapter 2! All finished up. A small cliffie to go along with it, hehe. So all of you who guessed Sesshomaru; you were correct! I'll send your cookies to you by mail. Don't worry, all you SesshxKag fans, the lovey-dovey stuff will come sometime in the next few chapters. Ciao!)**

"**Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."**** –Kahlil Gibran**

**I don't own any of the InuYasha characters; they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**


	3. Notice

**NOTICE:**

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**Sorry guys, I've been at a family reunion. I'll get home in 2 days from now, but as soon as I get back I'll post the third chapter. I would do it now but it's on my laptop at home. (Couldn't bring it with me.) I promise to have the third chapter a long one, with some fluff in it. **


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